windmill.
A machine which translates linear motion of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails.
Meaning & usage
A machine which translates linear motion of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails.
The building or structure containing such machinery.
A wind turbine, a device for converting wind power into electricity.
A child's toy consisting of vanes mounted on a stick that rotate when blown by a person or by the wind.
A dunk where the dunker swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball through the hoop.
A pitch where the pitcher swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball.
A guitar move where the strumming hand mimics a turning windmill.
A breakdancing move in which the dancer rolls their torso continuously in a circular path on the floor, across the upper chest, shoulders and back, while twirling the legs in a V shape in the air.
Any of various muscle exercises in which a large deal of the body makes a great circle, typically one where a kettlebell is raised overhead and the torso is rotated to the other side with the hand reaching its foot (hitting the core, glutes, hamstrings, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids and rotator cuffs) but sometimes even a windshield wiper.
Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Byasa, the wings of which resemble the vanes of a windmill.
The false shower.
An imaginary enemy, but presented as real.
to fight windmills
The act of windmilling.
A tactic in which a piece repeatedly gains material, while simultaneously creating an inescapable series of alternating direct and discovered checks.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂wḗh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥ts Proto-Germanic *windaz Proto-West Germanic *wind Old English wind Middle English wynd Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *mélh₂ti Proto-Italic *melō Latin molō Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnus Latin molīnus Late Latin molīnabor. Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu Old English mylen Middle English mylne Middle English wyndmylne English windmill From Middle English wyndmylne, wyndmylle, equivalent to wind + mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl, Saterland Frisian Wíendmäälne, West Frisian wynmûne, Dutch windmolen, Afrikaans windmeul, Dutch Low Saxon windmölle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (Drents, Veluws), German Low German Windmöhl, German Windmühle, Danish vindmølle, Norwegian Bokmål vindmølle, Norwegian Nynorsk vindmølle, vindmylne, Swedish vindmölla, Icelandic vindmylla. (imaginary enemy): A reference to Don Quixote tilting at windmills.
To rotate with a sweeping motion.
She ran down the hill, windmilling her arms with glee.
To (become disengaged and) rotate freely.
The axle broke and the wheel windmilled in place briefly before careening through the wall.
To (become disengaged and) rotate freely. To be rotated by the force of the fluid passing through (the propeller or turbine rotor).
To move in order to rotate the penis in a circle (similar to the rotation of a windmill).
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂wḗh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥ts Proto-Germanic *windaz Proto-West Germanic *wind Old English wind Middle English wynd Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *mélh₂ti Proto-Italic *melō Latin molō Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnus Latin molīnus Late Latin molīnabor. Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu Old English mylen Middle English mylne Middle English wyndmylne English windmill From Middle English wyndmylne, wyndmylle, equivalent to wind + mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl, Saterland Frisian Wíendmäälne, West Frisian wynmûne, Dutch windmolen, Afrikaans windmeul, Dutch Low Saxon windmölle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (Drents, Veluws), German Low German Windmöhl, German Windmühle, Danish vindmølle, Norwegian Bokmål vindmølle, Norwegian Nynorsk vindmølle, vindmylne, Swedish vindmölla, Icelandic vindmylla. (imaginary enemy): A reference to Don Quixote tilting at windmills.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.